13 h 24 minAudiobook15 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 13 h 24 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What if the man who brings progress to Camelot is also the man who needs a lesson in power?
Hank Morgan, a practical factory foreman from Connecticut, wakes in sixth-century England after a blow to the head. Knights capture him, and King Arthur’s court threatens his life. Armed with nineteenth-century knowledge, Hank turns his strange predicament into a chance to become The Boss—and remake the kingdom.
In Mark Twain’s time-travel satire, schools, newspapers and secret factories challenge a world ruled by rank and custom. Merlin resents the newcomer, while the young page Clarence welcomes his ideas. But Hank’s confidence raises an uneasy question: does knowing how to build a machine mean knowing how to change a society?
What you’ll discover
- A headlong clash of eras Follow a practical factory man into a land of heavy armor, enchantments and unquestioned customs.
- A king beyond his court Walk with Arthur and Hank in disguise as they encounter life among ordinary people.
- Merlin meets his rival Watch the court wizard’s mystery and showmanship collide with a stranger’s practical knowledge.
- Progress under sharp scrutiny Explore the promise of schools and factories alongside hard questions about control and arrogance.
- Laughter with a dark edge Find jokes about chivalry that open into searching arguments about class, slavery and power.
Who will love it
Readers who love time-travel adventure, sharp satire, Arthurian legend retold with a grin, and an inventive hero who meets a world of kings, knights and wizards and sets out to change it.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A stranger wakes up in Camelot
- An eclipse saves a prisoner from the stake
- The Yankee becomes The Boss and builds in secret
- A quest with Sandy tests his patience
- Morgan le Fay shows power without limits
- The holy fountain gets a modern repair
- A disguised king meets the real kingdom
- Wages, trade and slavery teach hard lessons
- Caste, church and training shape every mind
- How Twain tells the tale with a frame and jokes
Who’s who
- Hank MorganA practical Connecticut factory boss, thrown into the sixth century, who wants to bring modern machines and fair laws to King Arthur's Britain.
- ClarenceA quick, mocking page who becomes Hank's loyal assistant and editor, helping him run a secret civilization.
- MerlinThe court magician and old rival, who spins long tales and schemes against the Yankee's reputation.
- King ArthurA noble but trusting ruler, brave and kind, who learns to see his kingdom from below.
- SandyAlisande, a talkative, devoted young woman who rides with Hank on a quest and believes in every enchantment.
- Sir KayThe seneschal who captures Hank and boasts of it, telling grand lies at the Round Table.
- Morgan le FayArthur's sister, a charming and cruel queen who rules her castle and its dungeons by fear.
- Sir LauncelotThe greatest knight of the Round Table, strong, courteous and admired by everyone at court.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet or computer, once the book texts are online.
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- Audiobook
- Read by Lucas Linden, complete. It opens once the recording is online.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 15 minutes, to read today.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
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A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court
by Mark Twain · 1889
A Hartford factory boss wakes in 528 and plans to bring modern lighting, newspapers and soap to King Arthur.
Medium level10–20 hours to readItaliano
Excellent
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In short
What would you do if a blow to the head sent you thirteen centuries into the past? Hank Morgan, a Connecticut factory boss, wakes under an oak tree in the year 528 and finds a knight in iron armor asking him to joust.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A stranger wakes up in Camelot
The book begins at Warwick Castle, where Twain meets a quiet stranger who knows ancient armor far too well. When a guide points out a round hole in a chain mail shirt, the stranger mutters that he saw it happen.
That night a few glasses of hot Scotch loosen his tongue. He is Hank Morgan, born near Hartford, who rose to chief of a great arms factory and commanded two thousand men. A fight with a worker ends with a crowbar blow to his head.
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Details
- First published
- 1889
- Language
- Italiano
- Level
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Cite this edition
Twain, Mark. A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/a-connecticut-yankee-in-king-arthur-s-court.
Twain, M. (2026). A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's court. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/a-connecticut-yankee-in-king-arthur-s-court (Original work published 1889)
Twain, Mark. A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/a-connecticut-yankee-in-king-arthur-s-court.
@book{twain2026connecticut,
author = {Twain, Mark},
title = {A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/a-connecticut-yankee-in-king-arthur-s-court},
note = {First published 1889}
}
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What is A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court about?
A Connecticut factory boss is knocked out and finds himself in the year 528, where Sir Kay takes him prisoner. He uses modern knowledge to win power, then tries to bring schools, machines and fairer laws to a kingdom ruled by knights and the Church.
Who is Hank Morgan?
Hank Morgan is the Yankee of the title, a Hartford arms factory superintendent. In Arthur's Britain he becomes the king's minister, nicknamed The Boss, and tries to bring in nineteenth-century inventions.
Is A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court a true story?
No. It is a comic novel by Mark Twain, published in 1889. It borrows characters and scenes from Sir Thomas Malory's Arthurian tales and uses them to satirize real laws and customs from later centuries.
The author
Mark Twain
1835–1910 · American humorist and novelist
Mark Twain was the pen name of Samuel Langhorne Clemens, an American author born in Missouri in 1835. He lived in Hartford, Connecticut, from 1874 to 1891. He wrote The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) and The Prince and the Pauper (1881). He died in Redding, Connecticut, in 1910.
More by Mark Twain
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